Trapani has the shape of a sickle, Drepanon in Greek, and an enviable geographic location: between the two seas, beneath Mount Erice, near the archaeological site of Selinunte, in front of the Egadi Islands and the salt marshes. Walking through the old town, the signs of the passage of various civilizations over the centuries are immediately evident, and all left architectural, artistic and monumental evidences.

Trapani is a city and municipality (comune) on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the main gateway to the nearby Egadi Islands.

HIGLIGHTS

Hugging the harbour where Peter of Aragon landed in 1282 to begin the Spanish occupation of Sicily, the sickle-shaped spit of land occupied by Trapani’s old town once sat at the heart of a powerful trading network that stretched from Carthage to Venice. Traditionally the town thrived on coral and tuna fishing, with some salt and wine production.

Riserva Naturale dello Zingaro

This nature reserve is characterized by its dramatic rock landscapes, unique fauna and flora and beautiful views over the ocean. Perfect for active nature lovers!
Try to snorkel around one of the many beaches, because the marine life around Zingaro is very beautiful. You can also of course enjoy the small, almost deserted rocky and sandy beaches that are scattered all over the nature reserve.

Erice

751 meters (2464 ft) above Trapani lies the medieval Erice. Characterized by the gray buildings, narrow streets of cobblestones and many churches and castles, this is a very nice day trip from Trapani. To get to this mountain top you can take a cable car from Trapani (€9), or by car along hairpin bends with impressive views uphill (parking costs €2 for the first hour, then €1 per additional hour).

In Erice there are some attractions that you should see. One of them is the Norwegian castle. For the rest there are many beautiful churches, the city wall, the phenomenal panorama of Trapani, the Egadi Islands and the salt pans around Trapani and Marsalla.

The Egadi Islands

One of the most things to do around Trapani is undoubtedly a visit to the Egadi Islands. This small island group west of Sicily has some of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. It consists of three islands: Marettimo, Favignana and Levanzo. Of which the last two are the most popular.

Favignana is the largest island, and this is the most ‘urbanized’ island. You can rent a bike or scooter and explore the beautiful island and make a stopover on one of the great sandy or rocky beaches. Some churches on this island are also very quaint, and provide some refreshment against the warm weather of Sicily.

The salt pans of Trapani and Marsala

These salt pans are actually large fields with water from which salt is extracted. In addition to these ponds filled with stagnant water, you can see feet-high salt hills and obsolete windmills that decorate the landscape.
The Trapani salt pans are already impressive, but if you have time I also recommend to visit Marsalla. The salt pans in Marsalla are a little bigger and more impressive. Moreover, you can also make a boat trip between the ponds or towards the Mozia island (€5 or €9 if you want to visit the museum). Along the way you’ll also get information about the extraction of salt in this region and you’ll get access to places where you otherwise are not allowed.

Cattedrale di San Lorenzo

It’s quite pleasant to spend a few hours in Trapani itself. There’s a nice atmosphere and quite some good restaurants, cozy shopping streets and the proximity of the sloshing sea. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many things to do. One that I do find worth visiting is the Cattedrale di San Lorenzo.

Economy

Much of Trapani’s economy still depends on the sea and fishing and canning are the main local industries. Coral is also an important export, along with salt, marble, and marsala wine. The nearby coast is lined with numerous saltworkers formed by the evaporation of seawater situated majestically along the coast road between Trapani and Marsala.

The city is also an important ferry port, with links to the Egadi Islands, Pantelleria, Sardinia, France and Tunisia. It also has its own airport, the Trapani-Birgi Airport.

Fishing

Tuna fishing in Trapani has an ancient tradition (mattanza) used in the city and in the surroundings: (San Giuliano, San Cusumano, Isola di Formica, Favignana, Bonagia, San Vito Lo Capo, Scopello, Capo Granitola). Today, this technique is forbidden but the fishing port is very active and hosts 142 small and medium fishing boats, for a total of 2805 GRT (gross tonnage).

The old fish market, renovated in 1998, is now used for cultural events and a new one, large and modern, more functional to fishing activities has been located near the port. It represents the only market in the Province and its recent restructuring, with European funds, places it at the forefront in the national level both in terms of marketing and product traceability.

Coral processing

Between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Trapani fishermen began to practice coral fishing, and coral craftmen started to develop its processing succeeding throughout the Mediterranean. A network of prestigious commissions was consolidated throughout Europe and it was thus possible to produce ever richer and more elaborate works. Today, however, fishing has almost completely disappeared, while coral processing is limited to few craftsmen.

Saltworks

Windmills and saltworks are evidence of industrial archeology. Saltworks are located in the area of Natural Reserve of Saline di Trapani and Paceco managed by the WWF and characterized by a remarkable flora and fauna. Thanks to the protection guaranteed by the Reserve, the activity of the saltworkers and the production of salt have increased, favoring the return and reproduction of dozens of species of migratory birds, including the pink flamingo.

Trapani is the perfect port, and fishing village, being set on a low peninsula stretching in an arc into the sea, the housing of the city melting into plains of salt pans, valuable to the regions economy. 

Tourism

The old city of Trapani dates from the later medieval or early modern periods; there are no more remains of the ancient city and many of the city’s historic buildings are designed in the Baroque style.

• The Church of Sant’Agostino (14th century)
• The Church of Santa Maria di Gesù (15th–16th centuries)
• Basilica-Sanctuary of Maria Santissima Annunziata (also called “Madonna di Trapani”) originally built in 1315–1332 and rebuilt in 1760. It houses Museo regionale Agostino Pepoli and a marble statue of the Madonna of Trapani, which might be attributed to the work of Nino Pisano.
• Fontana di Tritone (“Triton’s Fountain”)
• The Baroque Palazzo della Giudecca or Casa Ciambra.
• The Cathedral (built in 1421, but restored in the 18th century by Giovanni Biagio Amico). It includes a painting of “Annunciation“attributed to Anthony van Dyck.
• Church of Maria SS. dell’Intria, an example of Sicilian Baroque.
• Church of Badia Nuova, a small Baroque church.
• Castello di Terra, a ruined 12th-century castle, today police office.
• Ligny Tower, a 17th-century watchtower housing Phreistory museum.
• Regional Museum Agostino Pepoli – Located in the 14th-century Carmelite convent, adjacent to the Sanctuary of Basilica-Sanctuary of Maria Santissima Annunziata, it is one of the most important Sicilian museums. It houses an impressive collection of decorative arts, sculptures (including works by the Gagini), cribs and coral jewelry, and an art gallery that includes, among others, paintings by Titian and Giacomo Balla.
• Museum of Prehistory – It is housed inside the seventeenth-century Torre di Ligny, on the extreme western point of the city, and preserves important prehistoric evidence of human presence in the area, as well as finds (artifacts, amphorae, anchors, a Punic helmet) from the sea of Trapani.
• Museum of Contemporary Art San Rocco – Housed inside Palazzo San Rocco, in the historic center.
• DiArt, diocesan collection of permanent religious art, housed in the episcopal seminary of Raganzìli in Casa Santa locality.
• Diocesan Museum, in the Church of Sant’Agostino
• Optical Illusions Museum

Culture

The city is renowned for its Easter related Holy Week activities and traditions, culminating between Good Friday and Holy Saturday in the Processione dei Misteri di Trapani, colloquially simply the Misteri di Trapani (in English the Procession of the Mysteries of Trapani or the Mysteries of Trapani), a day-long passion procession organized and sponsored by the city’s guilds, featuring twenty floats of wood, canvas and glue sculptures, mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries, of individual scenes of the events of the Passion.

The Misteri are among the oldest continuously running religious events in Europe, having been played every Good Friday since before the Easter of 1612. Running for at least 16 continuous hours, but occasionally well beyond the 24 hours, they are the longest religious festival in Sicily and in Italy. Important also to the cult of the Madonna of Trapani.

The city gives its name to a variety of pesto – pesto alla trapenese – made using almonds instead of the traditional pine nuts in Ligurian pesto.